Teresa Żylis-Gara (born 23 January 1935) is a Polish operaticsoprano who had a major international career during the 1950s through the 1990s. Although chiefly known for her portrayals in operas by Mozart, Puccini and Verdi, she sang a broad repertoire that encompassed a wide array of musical periods and languages. In addition to her work on the stage, she has been active as a concert singer and recitalist, and is particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Bach, Handel and Brahms.[1]

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Teresa Żylis-Gara was born in Landwarów, Second Polish Republic, now Lentvaris in Lithuania. She studied for nine years at the Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Muzyczna in Łódź with Olga Olgina [pl]. In 1954 she won first prize at the Polish Young Vocalists Contest in Warsaw which led to engagements to sing on the Polish National Radio and to perform as a soloist with the Kraków Philharmonic. In 1956 she made her professional opera debut with Opera Krakowska in the title role of Stanisław Moniuszko's Halka. She returned there the following year to portray the title role Puccini's Madama Butterfly.[1]

In 1958 Żylis-Gara won 2nd prize at the Concours of Toulouse and in 1960 she won 3rd prize at the International Music Contest in Munich. The latter competition win led to her engagement at the opera house in Oberhausen and from this moment on her career was largely centered in Germany for the next decade. She continued her voice training in Germany with Dietger Jacob. She was offered a long term contract with the Dortmund Opera in 1962, singing there for the next three years.[1]